1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric padlock, more particularly to an electric padlock that can prevent theft of a battery unit therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional electric padlock includes a lock casing formed with two shackle insert holes. A shackle member has a longer leg portion that is movably disposed in one of the shackle insert holes and that is biased upwardly. A latch member is received in the lock casing, and is movable between locking and unlocking positions for engaging and disengaging a shackle groove in a shorter leg portion of the shackle member. The electric padlock further includes an electric operating unit that has a drive motor mounted in the lock casing, coupled to the latch member, and operable for moving the latch member between the locking and unlocking positions.
The electric operating unit draws electric power from a battery unit that is received in a battery compartment of the lock casing. The lock casing is formed with a battery access hole so that the battery unit can be inserted into and removed from the battery compartment. A battery cap member is mounted removably on the lock casing for closing selectively the battery compartment.
The conventional electric padlock is disadvantageous in that, since the battery cap member can be removed regardless of whether the shackle member is locked or unlocked from the lock casing, the electric padlock can be vandalized by simply removing the battery unit from the battery compartment while the shackle member is locked on the lock casing. Without the battery unit, it is not possible to operate the electric operating unit for unlocking the shackle member from the lock casing.